The housing developer I work for has recently distributed 2,000 free books to schoolchildren. No, you didn’t read that wrong – it delivered books, not homes. The company didn’t change sector overnight to become a book publisher, and it is of course still delivering new homes across London and the country. But as well as building with bricks and mortar, it has begun a journey in building the workforce, addressing the shortfall of construction industry professionals. It is beginning this journey by reaching out to schoolchildren with a new book, What Do Construction Workers Do?

Aimed at key stage 2 – that is, seven- to 11-year-olds – the book aims to demystify what working in construction means, introducing to schoolchildren the opportunities within the industry. Not surprisingly, bricklayers are featured – every child’s imagination can go this far. But as well as this are the hidden professions people often overlook when thinking about construction, including surveyors, site managers and, yes, architects.

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